Why the stars have all gone Cabo
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2100-2079380,00.html
If anyone knows the hottest resort of the moment, it?s Ed Victor, literary guru to the A list ? and this year, he?s leading the charge to Los Cabos,
Mexico
March 12, 2006
There is always a tipping point for the resort of the moment ? and this year?s choice for the elite traveller is undoubtedly Los Cabos ? Cabo to the
cognoscenti. The list of media and business heavies heading to the southern end of the Baja peninsula, a two-hour flight from Los Angeles, is weighty
indeed. Try these for a few examples of recent visitors: Robert Redford, Jim Carrey, Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Aniston. Regular guests at the
Esperanza, where I spent a few days just after new year, are Paul McCartney, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin, Brooke Shields, Will Smith and Jada
Pinkett Smith. There, have I dropped enough names to convince you that this place is hot, hot, hot?
It?s usually a problem defining why one particular resort will emerge as the fashionable place to go. But not so with Cabo. It?s big enough to have
everything a person could want from a tropical holiday: golf, swimming, scuba-diving, deep-sea fishing, whale-watching, desert excursions in 4WDs, or
just plain soaking up the nonstop sunshine. But it?s also small enough to prevent you feeling, as you can sometimes do in places such as the C?te
d?Azur or the Costa Brava, that you are part of a package tour of lemmings. Many Americans think of it as a south of the border version of Palm
Springs... but Palm Springs many, many years ago, when it was a small, charming and elite resort, and before it became a mini-megalopolis in the
desert east of LA.
Another cast-iron selling point of Cabo is the utter reliability of its weather. How many times have I schlepped across oceans and time zones to sit
sullenly in a damp hacienda watching the rain pelt down? All too often. But here you are virtually guaranteed heat and sunny skies all year round.
The general area is called Los Cabos, after the two towns that mark its boundaries. There?s the groovy, sometimes even rowdy, Cabo San Lucas, right at
the tip of the peninsula, full of bars and restaurants. And, about 15 miles away, heading northeast along the coast, the calmer, more historical San
Jos? del Cabo. Cabo San Lucas was built only a couple of decades ago by the Mexican government as an upmarket tourist resort; whereas San Jos? del
Cabo has existed for centuries, an outpost and shipping port at the tip of the Baja peninsula (and for many years a hang-out for pirates and
buccaneers, such as our old friend Sir Francis Drake).
There is plenty of action in the evenings in both towns, yet even swinging Cabo San Lucas is still a far cry from the overpopulated resort towns of
Florida or France.
THE ESPERANZA hotel, built four years ago, is more or less heaven on earth. It?s not just the breathtaking setting, just a few miles east of Cabo San
Lucas and with glorious views (especially at sunset) out to the Sea of Cortez. Or the spacious and luxurious (yet warm and simple) casitas. Or even
the spa and gym. There are other hotels that offer those comforts. No, what sets the Esperanza apart is the extremely high level of service it gives
its guests. Everybody I encountered not only performed their tasks promptly and efficiently, they also seemed to care that your needs were fulfilled ?
and often anticipated.
There were many little touches that even a jaded sybarite like me appreciated. For example, on arrival in our casita, we were greeted by a Mexican
barman, who prepared delicious margaritas ? an excellent antidote to the stressfulness of travel these days, even on a relatively short flight. There
was also a generous platter of Mexican hors d?oeuvres, such as guacamole and sea-bass ceviche. Another thoughtful idea: the sandals provided were in
two sizes, one for him, one for her.
The Esperanza and Las Ventanas seem to be the two hotels at the top of the Cabo pecking order. Both are beautifully sited, managed and serviced; both
are seriously expensive. There is also the ?grandfather? of all the Cabo resorts, the Palmilla, recently remodelled and a plausible third alternative.
Judging from the amount of building activity along the coastline, there will soon be a whole array of less pricey, but still stunning, hotels to
choose from for the more budget-minded traveller.
For an avid golfer like me, Cabo is like dying and going to paradise. There are six top-drawer golf courses (with green fees to match) within 20
minutes of the hotel, including the gorgeous Cabo del Sol (designed by Tom Weiskopf), the Cabo Real Golf Club (Robert Trent Jones) and the Palmilla
course (Jack Nicklaus).
Normally at a chic resort, I gravitate towards the action like a bee to honey. But, attractive as the two towns may be in terms of restaurants, bars
and general nightlife, I tend to feel that, after a day of golf under the sun and an excellent massage at the spa, the best way to spend the rest of
the evening is at the hotel, dining very pleasantly, overlooking the sea. And then early to bed. But for those who like raving in the desert, Cabo San
Lucas will not disappoint.
A POSTSCRIPT to my experience at the Esperanza is that I had occasion to call a doctor, who appeared in 10 minutes and dealt efficiently with my
problem. He then regaled me with stories about practising medicine in an upmarket resort such as Los Cabos, mostly concerning the misadventures of
rich, middle-aged men trying to do (and be) things they shouldn?t. One poor 60-ish fellow induced a heart attack by having sex in the morning ?
according to my doctor, a big ?no-no?.
Looking back at the two visits I have made to Cabo in the past two years, I have the feeling that achieving the tipping point of being the rich
person?s current resort of choice may not be the best outcome for the area. Celebrities ? and rich folk in general ? like to flock together; it makes
them feel safe in their judgment about where to be seen, and by whom. But there may come a point, sooner rather than later, when there are just too
many familiar, tanned faces around the pool for comfort ? and then the tipping point will tilt the other way until the newest in-place is found.
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